Guild Wars 2

Jav.8439:

Why so much salt?

Change is hard, I guess. I for one adopted condi shortbow fairly early on when I noticed my longbow ranger just wasn’t getting things done as efficiently as my other power-based toons. I still run LB zerker for fun in open world and other faceroll situations from time to time, but I enjoy and prefer condi when it comes to actually getting things done or going into a new area for the first time.

Others have pretty much covered why I’m pumped for Soulbeast, but primarily I’m excited at just having more options. Plenty of salt is always around when things change, but I have faith that I’ll find something among the new stuff that I like.

Because playing core Ranger for 5 years gets a bit boring, if only Anet had chosen a first elite spec that was lore friendly and actually fit the Ranger I wouldn’t have been all that excited, but soulbeast will probably be condition based which is always a bad thing. Just hope it will be as broken as the first elite specs were and totally destroy the old elite specs I am good with it.

Jav.8439:

So i’m a bit confused on why there is so much salt for Condi Ranger. I’ve been playing this game since beta and put the game down like 2 weeks after Hot was released and just came back to the game a month ago due to RL. My point is before HoT the meta was zerk/power w.e you wanna call it for YEARS. I come back to the game to find the community had finally accepted Condi in other activities other than PvP. I was extremely happy to play ranger again. Why so much salt?

A lot of us actually liked Power. Condi being a thing is great, for those who like condi. But the fall of Power is a great “Screw You” to those who liked Longbows, Greatswords, Swords, and Off-hand axes for rangers, and (In my much saltier opinion), Greatsword for Warrior.

I really hope the Soulbeast provides a condi mainhand weapon (Because we desperately need one. Axe is trying, but it’s confused) without being shoehorned into a ‘condi’ spec. However, the butchery of the power support from the Berzerker elite for Warrior these last two balance patches has me really concerned that they’re not going to respect that flexibility in Soulbeast.

That said – I’m making Incinerator for my current ranger, who currently runs Shortbow and Greatsword (What can I say? I love my Sunrise and Chuka). I was REALLY salty about the change to Signet of the Wild, but now that I’ve calmed down, I think I might actually like it – My Kudzu/Caladbolg+Warden’s Caller Sylvari Druid needed the Ferocity boost, and the power-based plantiness looks great on him. I’ll probably put Sharpened Edges in its slot on my stompy Chuka-wielding Ironclad Charr ranger.

I am excited for the different style of fighting and theme of using pets in different manner.

However, I got to be honest. After having seen the previews of Soulbeast weapons + their bracers, I am bit sad that there tends to be specialization pieces that are very fancy and fierce to look at, but extremely bloated in size and function, that it makes them unusable. The bracers for this elite specialization are absolutely not something anyone should wear as pieces of armor. They are nice decorative art piece, but very unfitting for style of armor. I’ll be amazed if anyone wants to wear them.